With the departure of Erza and all the other awakened survivors, except Arslan, only three remained in front of the portal: Idan in the form of the Alpha of Fire, Ned, who took the form of the Light Valkyrie Lucinda, and Arslan.
The three of them kept their eyes on the portal, fearing that someone as powerful as Erza might appear from there. However, to their relief, no one came out, and the portal remained open, showing no signs of closing soon.
That was exactly what bothered Idan.
"They're all gone. Erza checked everything and took all the awakened ones she had captured with her. So why is the portal still open?" he asked himself mentally.
"Is this really her doing?" said Idan, remembering Erza's last words before she left.
"Before Erza left, she told me to come and save the Awakened Ones if I had the guts. She also asked me to tell Belle that she would be waiting for her. And without the portal, we can hardly get to the other side," Idan's gaze became thoughtful as he looked at the portal.
"Besides, the System is still silent..."
The task of eliminating the outsiders and rescuing the Awakened Ones still hadn't been completed. The system has not yet summed up the results of this task.
"Okay, we'll wait for Belle and the others first, and then we'll think about it," Idan said, and a bitter smile appeared on his face. "I hope Belle isn't too angry..."
Idan froze before he could finish. He thought of the crazy girl he had been ignoring all this time and started to panic a little.
"I hope Belle doesn't overdo it and kill her."
Idan, after waiting a bit, decided to reverse his transformation, taking the form of Ethan Goldwing, a young guy with blond hair and blue eyes.
Ned, noticing that his master had returned to his former form, also assumed his usual form — a dark fox, and happily rushed to Idan, jumping around him.
The battle, which had tired Idan out a bit, hadn't affected Ned much. He seemed incredibly active and happy. His joy was evident not only in his behavior, but also through their contract, Idan felt Ned overwhelmed with emotions.
"Calm down, buddy. Calm down," Idan said with a smile, gently ruffling Ned's fur.
"Ned, do me a favor and put out the fire," Idan said to Ned. He gladly agreed and hurried to fulfill the request. Idan went to Arslan.
"Idan?" — Arslan asked doubtfully, still not believing what he had heard recently. He moved closer to Idan, waiting for confirmation.
Idan nodded in response, then took off his Ghost mask, revealing his true appearance, and said, "Well, it's been a long time, Arslan."
Arslan stared at Idan speechlessly, seeing a familiar but much-changed face.
He remembered how his sister and Idan had been transported to another world together. Although Arslan did not know what had happened to them during this time, recent events and Idan's passionate words clearly showed that his older sister and Idan have a very close relationship.
After a short pause, Arslan said: "Yes, indeed, it's been a long time, Idan."
"Turn around," Idan asked, and as soon as Arslan complied with his request, Idan, with a light swing of his aura-enhanced sword, cut through the handcuff that suppressed Arslan's power. And with that, Arslan finally reconnected with his system.
"You've changed a lot," Arslan said, acknowledging that Idan had indeed changed.
"You haven't changed much, — Idan replied with a smile. "I mean, your appearance, but your character has changed noticeably. Is it because you became a father?"
Arslan, surprised by Idan's unexpected question, smiled bitterly.
"So, you already know about my relationship with your sister?" he asked, even though he knew it was a stupid question. After all, the other party knew that he already had a son, but he decided to ask anyway. "Does Sister know about this?"
"Yes, she knows," Idan confirmed. "We just recently returned and immediately met with Irene. We found out where you were from her, and since Belle wanted to see you, we came here."
"Belle?" Arslan couldn't help but notice and was pleasantly surprised to hear Idan affectionately calling his older sister.
"Haha, yeah, why?" Idan laughed.
"Nothing, it's just a little unusual. I always referred to her as "sister" and had never heard anyone call her that before."
Idan was glad to hear that.
Arabel also said that no one called her that, and Arslan confirmed with his own words that this was indeed the case.
"So, Arslan, tell me honestly, what is your relationship with my older sister, Irene?" Idan asked, waiting for Arabel and the others to appear.
After a short pause, Arslan sighed and finally said:
"It's a little complicated, Idan.
Then, lifting his gaze and looking at Idan, he continued:
"I like your sister, Idan. I love her. I proposed to her after I found out she was pregnant, but she turned me down."
"To be honest, I was embarrassed and hurt by her rejection, and I didn't know what to do. But after some thought, I decided to wait and take my time. And after my son was born, I didn't have much time to spend with her because of my work with the Guild and moving here."
"Hmm..." As Idan had predicted, Arslan and Irene's relationship was not so rosy.
"And what is your relationship with Milena? Idan couldn't help but ask about it, given this chance to find out the truth.
Arslan froze at Idan's question and looked at him in surprise.
"I'm asking, what is your relationship with Milena Orleans?" After asking about it again, Idan pulled out a photo taken by Coco and handed it to Arslan.
Taking the photo, Arslan froze when he saw it. Despite the fact that they were in the north and a fire was raging around them, it was cold in the square in front of the portal, but Arslan was covered in sweat.
"Ah, well that's… I can explain," he said with an awkward smile, coughing slightly.
"Okay, — Idan nodded, taking the photo back. Then, looking around the village where Ned was diligently extinguishing the fire, he turned to Arslan and said:
"I hope you have a good excuse for this act."
Arslan, seeing Idan's serious look, sighed heavily.
"And if not, then if I don't personally beat you up, then your big sister will."
"Huh?" Arslan's panic increased after Idan's words. "Does S-sister know about this?"
Seeing Arslan's concern, Idan broke into a smile.
"Oh, Belle, of course she knows. And she even insisted that you weren't that kind of person. So, I hope you won't disappoint her trust in you."
"Gulp," Arslan swallowed hard, trying to collect his thoughts and find the right words to explain this difficult situation. If he does not do this, then two people close to him may be disappointed in him at once.